Does the Vatican issue passports? Does the Pope give up citizenship in his country of birth when he becomes Pope?

- Stanely Bostitch

A:
Dear Staplers,Yes, the Vatican issues passports. But despite the hundreds of thousands of people that visit the Vatican, very few people actually reside there. Even the cardinals don't actually live in the Vatican. Only about 400 people reside in this smallest of countries, and most of them are the Elite Swiss Guard in charge of protecting His Holiness.

When ascending to the papacy, the pope does not have to (although for whatever reason he may wish to) renounce his citizenship. Until John Paul II this would have been silly, because for 500 years the popes had been Italian. Who wants to renounce the citizenship of the country located a few blocks from your home? Still, depending on the next pope, all that could potentially change. Even as an outside observer, I think it will be very interesting to watch the Roman Catholic Church in the upcoming decade.

-Benvolio, who's not really Italian

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